ZURICH – Soccer clubs worldwide spent a record $9.63 billion last year buying players in international transfer deals processed by FIFA, soccer’s governing body said in research published Tuesday.
Ahead of a slow January trading window closing in Europe on Thursday, FIFA’s research showed transfer spending in 2023 on player deals between clubs from different countries - fueled by spending by English and Saudi Arabian clubs - was $2 billion more than the previous biggest spend in the pre-pandemic year of 2019.
English clubs were again the biggest spenders with $2.96 billion worth of international deals including Enzo Fernandez to Chelsea from Benfica, Mykhailo Mudryk to Chelsea from Shakhtar Donetsk and Joško Gvardiol to Manchester City from Leipzig.
FIFA’s study is not a complete picture because it does not count transfers deals between two clubs in the same country. Hundreds of millions spent on deals for Declan Rice, Alexis Mac Allister, Moises Caicedo and Kai Havertz were not logged by FIFA because the transfers were between Premier League clubs. Those deals do not require FIFA to process a change of player registration between two member federations.
English clubs recouped more than $1 billion in international sales, including Tottenham selling Harry Kane to Bayern Munich.
German clubs spent $850 million in international transfers and received $1.21 billion, including the initial $110 million Real Madrid spent buying Jude Bellingham from Borussia Dortmund.
In men’s soccer, 3,279 international transfers of professional players involving a fee were processed by FIFA last year.
FIFA said its top-10 transfers accounted for more than 10% of the entire amount spent, about $1 billion, on international deals last year.
The top-10 list included Paris Saint-Germain buying Randal Kolo Muani from Eintracht Frankfurt and selling Neymar to Saudi Arabian club Al Hilal.
FIFA’s report said Saudi clubs spent $970 million - compared to $50.4 million in 2022 - and recouped $16.9 million in selling players to clubs in other countries.
In women’s soccer, 1,888 international transfers of professional players were processed by FIFA last year – a year-on-year rise of more than 20%.
The total transfer value of $6.1 million for those deals was 84% more than in 2022, FIFA said.
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